Criminals are now taking license plates

It looks like organized criminals in Riverdale have their sites on license plates of cars parked near the Henry Hudson Parkway.

Between Feb. 8 and Feb. 10, victims and neighbors claimed some 50 cars were hit.

The New York Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner Public Information office confirmed only about a dozen or so of those alleged thefts, according to police reports.

A DCPI spokesman said the perpetrators were stealing one plate at a time from each vehicle.

The spokesman also believed it was an organized effort, similar to the catalytic converter and other auto theft rings that have wreaked havoc in greater Riverdale.

According to posts on the Next Door app from last weekend, the plates were stolen starting on Feb. 8. They seemed to start at 246th Street. “There were more than 50 cars involved,” a post read.

One person posting on the app mentioned one way to ward off the bandits. “I just ordered some anti-theft license plate screws on Amazon.com,” the person stated. A perusal of the website indeed showed such screws are available.

Some vehicle owners are worried about what to do in the meantime. Without a second license plate, they are most likely to be pulled over by police. While it won’t get their plate back, the New York State department of motor vehicles does have a web page for such victims. It is dmv.ny.gov/registration/lost-or-stolen

According to the DMV, “if two vehicle plates are lost, stolen or destroyed (or one plate if the vehicle was only issued one) you need to notify the police and ask police to complete a police report. Bring police report to a DMV office to surrender the vehicle registration.”

Then you need to ask a New York state police agency to complete a “certification of lost license, permit or plates” (MV-78B). It is only available at a police agency.

If one plate is stolen, you don’t need to complete a police report. You must bring the plate you have left to your county’s DMV office to surrender the registration. To replace the plates without paying a fee, you must submit a police report or the MV-78B form.

No arrests were made in the license plate thefts, according to DCPI.